Listen to Life - Today's Story

A blind man sat on the steps of a building on a beautiful spring day. His hat was at his feet along with a sign that read, “I am blind. Please help.”

A woman walked by and stopped to observe the man’s situation. She noticed that the blind man had just a few coins in his hat. So she dropped in a few more coins and, without even asking permission, took his sign and began writing on it. She replaced the sign and left.

The woman returned to see the blind man later that afternoon. She noticed that his hat was full of not just coins, but bills also. The blind man recognized her footsteps and asked, “Are you the one who stopped earlier and did something to my sign?”

“Yes,” the woman said, “but everything I wrote was true. I just wrote the message a little differently than you had.”

The new sign read, “Today is Spring and I can’t see it.”

Words really do matter, don’t they? Look for the words you can best say today as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

"Who are you with?'

2010-03-26T06:39:00.001-04:00

Once upon a time, I had an exercise bike. I rode it for a while, but pretty soon I threw a pair of jeans on it, then a shirt, then some clothes waiting to be ironed, and it became an expensive clothes rack. So one day I moved it to the storage room.

Then I got a ski machine. It was great, after I became coordinated enough to swing my arms and legs simultaneously. And I used it for a while, but then one day I threw a pair of jeans on it, then a shirt, then some clothes waiting to be ironed, and it became a super-expensive clothes rack. So I moved it to the basement.

Then I wanted a treadmill. And I remembered the bike and ski machine.

Instead I bought a membership at a fitness center. And I go exercise there several times a week.

What’s the difference? At home, I exercise alone. At the gym, I’m with lots of people, all of them doing the same thing. I discovered I’m encouraged by people doing what I’m doing.

Surround yourself today with people who make a life and not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"What are your challenges and tests in the New Year?"

2010-01-12T21:21:00.001-05:00

The Great Barrier Reef stretches some 1,800 miles from New Guinea to Australia. It’s a real study in contrasts. The lagoon side of the reef looks pale and lifeless, while the ocean side is vibrant and colorful.

The reason for this phenomenon is that the coral on the lagoon side is in still water with no challenge for its survival. It’s not stimulated to grow so it dies early. But the coral on the ocean side is constantly being tested by wind, waves, storms—surges of power. It fights for survival every day of its life which forces it to grow. It changes and adapts as it’s challenged and tested. It grows healthy and strong every day.

Now you would think it would be the exact opposite, wouldn’t you? That the still water lagoon side would grow. But it’s the stimulated ocean side that grows instead.

We’re like this coral. We come alive and grow when we’re challenged and tested by life. And I’ll bet you’re already being challenged and tested by life in this new year, aren’t you? Listen to your life and focus on growing more alive as you make a life, not just a living today.

"Who do you lean on when the weight of life is too much for you to stand by yourself?"

2010-01-11T20:41:00.001-05:00

A stand of pines grow in the yard part of our farm. Their limbs have grown together. Also in our yard was one pine growing by itself.

A snowfall came and the ice and snow lay heavy on the branches of those pines, so heavy that the weight bent their branches down toward the ground, so low in fact that in the stand of pines, the branches from one tree were on the trunk and branches of another, but none of the branches broke because the trees leaned their branches on one another.

The pine that stood by itself didn’t do as well. There were no other trees to lean against so the lone pine's branches became so heavy they broke off. So many of them broke off that we had to cut the tree down.

We have each other to journey with in life. Together we’re stronger and live longer than any one of us by ourselves. Who do you lean on when the weight of life is too much for you to stand by yourself? Listen to your life and make a life with the people in your life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"It was a little easier to help others during the holidays, wasn’t it?"

2010-01-10T19:16:00.003-05:00

Charles Shultz, creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip, died some years ago, but his comic strips live on. In one of my favorite “Peanuts” cartoons, Snoopy is shivering out in a snowstorm beside an empty food dish. He looks expectantly toward the house. Lucy comes out and says, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled!" Then she goes back into the house and slams the door. In the last frame, you see a confused Snoopy looking toward the house, still shivering and hungry and now, confused.

During the holidays, it was a little easier for you and me to help shivering, hungry people what with the “holiday spirit” and all. We got caught up in the season of giving. But it’s easier for us to slam doors now what with the decorations retired back to the basement or up in the attic.

Even though the holidays are over, warm and feed others today. When you do, the holidays—the season of giving’s holy-days spirit—live on. Just listen to life and make a life, not just a living today and you’ll discover more opportunities to keep the season alive than you ever imagined.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Got perseverance?"

2010-01-07T19:53:00.002-05:00

We moved to the Appalachian mountains when our younger daughter was less than a year old. So she spent her preschool years hiking up and down mountains with us. When she was small I would carry her, but when she was around two years old, I decided that it was time for her to hike. So she did for a while…

…until she would get tired. “Help me, Daddy,” she’d say with her arms outstretched. At first, I always picked her up and carried her for a while. But as she got older, I started telling her, “Just keep walking for a little while longer, honey, and you’ll feel better in a few minutes.” So she would and in a few minutes she’d say, “I feel better, Daddy.”

Our daughter wanted to quit, but persevered long enough to get her second wind. If you want to keep your New Year’s resolution, you’ve got to stick to it when you feel like quitting. Sure, you’ll get tired, maybe even worn out, but to reach your goals, ask God to be your partner, develop a winning attitude, celebrate each success, and persevere in the New Year as you listen to life and make a life!

"Got success?"

2010-01-06T20:23:00.001-05:00

Duke basketball player J.J. Redick scores a career-high 41 points against Texas and says, “I was just feeling it tonight. The basket was huge.”

Tiger Woods wins yet another PGA tournament and says, “I had my A-game this week. It was like putting into a bucket today.”

Barry Bonds sets a single-season home run record and says, “It was like swinging at a grapefruit up there. I couldn’t miss.”

What do all three of these athletes have in common? Success.

How did they get to their current level of performance? Success.

You see success brings more success. That is, you succeed in a small way, in a little thing, and that builds your confidence. You begin to see yourself as successful because you celebrate the small wins. The small wins build and build until pretty soon, you are successful.

And that’s how you accomplish your New Year’s resolution. Celebrate one pound lost or one hour at the gym or one bill paid in full. See yourself as God sees you—as a successful person who listens to life! And celebrate as you make a life!

"Got a winning attitude?"

2010-01-05T20:59:00.001-05:00

I saw an interview recently with golfing legend Jack Nicklaus. He was discussing his pre-shot routine. He said that before he hit the ball or even took a practice swing, in his mind’s eye he saw the ball landing exactly where he wanted it to go. He imagined the ball’s path to the cup or the landing spot in the fairway. Then he took his practice swing, again seeing the ball go where he wanted it. Only then did he actually hit the ball.

Nicklaus’ visioning process before each shot developed within him a winning attitude. He started expecting to see the ball go where he wanted to hit it, believed that he could do it time after time, and so he did.

Have you made your New Year’s resolution yet? If you have, how do you see yourself—with a winning attitude? Do you imagine that you’ll accomplish your goal?

You can do what Jack Nicklaus did and it’s virtually a spiritual exercise. You can reach your New Year’s goals with God’s help to envision a winning you. Just ask God to let you see yourself as a winner as you listen to life today!

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Got a partner?"

2010-01-04T19:52:00.001-05:00

How do you try to make your New Year’s resolution happen? Do you tough it out on your own, using sheer will power and strength? And how far does that get you? Yea, I know, about that far.

When I made a New Year’s resolution a few years ago to start exercising regularly, I did pretty well at first, going often and really enjoying the time and feeling better. After a while though I noticed my enthusiasm waning. I had more excuses not to go and I let them get in the way of my going.

I knew I needed a partner—someone to hold me accountable, to ask when were we going to the gym, to look forward to being with. Our younger daughter became my partner, when she’s not at track practice. We had a great time together encouraging each other. She helped me push away from my desk and get up and go.

We all need a partner to help us reach our goals. Who’s your partner? Ask God to send someone to you who will motivate you, encourage you, and listen to life with you as you make a life, not just a living today.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Got goals?"

2010-01-03T19:32:00.000-05:00

When NASA took on the challenge of putting a person on the moon, they started by setting goals. Instead of starting with “now” and working forward, they started with “then”—the day they wanted to land on the moon, July 20, 1969, when the earth and moon were closest. They planned backwards from that date, i.e., where do we need to be on July 19, July 18, and so on making a detailed plan. They set goals backwards, knowing when they wanted Neil Armstrong stepping on the moon, and what it would take each week to get him there.

A lot of us try to set New Year’s resolution goal forwards, like, I want to lose 40 pounds, without knowing by when. We try for a little while to lose weight, realize we can’t lose all 40 in a month, and give up.

Set a realistic goal—like losing 40 pounds—and a target date, like June 30th. That way, you can plan on losing an average of 1.5 pounds a week and that’s doable!

Life isn’t so overwhelming when you take the long view—from God’s perspective—as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"What's your wish for the new year?"

2010-01-01T14:05:00.001-05:00

I sat with a group of mostly college students, all of them women, as they talked about what was going on in their lives. One’s boyfriend was due home from Iraq in a couple of weeks. Another was trying to make her life more purposeful. And another had quit smoking.

“I just decided to quit,” she said. “I quit cold turkey—no patch, no pills, no gum. I just quit. And it was hard,” she said, “I mean I’ve been smoking for seven years. It’s what I do. I smoke. I’m a smoker. And my friends don’t understand. They ask me for my lighter and I say, ‘I quit.’ And they say, ‘What?’ They ask to bum a cigarette and I say, ‘I quit.’ And they say, ‘Why?’”

She went on to say, “I know I’m doing the right thing, but it sure is hard.”

Doing the right thing is hard, isn’t it? Even if your old behaviors are killing you or make you miserable, they’re still familiar, aren’t they? And the people around still expect you to be that way, don’t they?

Yes, doing the right thing is hard, but it’s well worth the effort. Resolve to do the right thing in 2010 as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Will you do the right thing next year?"

2009-12-30T20:32:00.001-05:00

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"Do you look up?"

2009-12-29T21:31:00.001-05:00

I planted some pansies in one of our flower gardens recently. They really started blooming a couple of weeks after I stuck them in the ground. I was excited because they looked so great. And I mentioned them to my wife, asking her, “Hey! What do you think about those pansies?”

And she said, “Well, I really haven’t noticed. When I walk by them, my head must be down. I must be thinking about something else.”

Now she walks by those flowers beds numerous times each day taking the horses to and from the barn. It’s not a matter of not having an opportunity to see them. It’s more about what she’s looking for.

You see what you’re looking for. If you keep your head down in life, you don’t see the beauty blooming all around you that God planted for your enjoyment. If you look up, your perspective broadens from your own thinking to experience what God wants to share with you.

Resolve to look up and enjoy the world around you in the New Year as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Are you blooming?"

2009-12-28T22:41:00.002-05:00

A heavy frost fell on our farm for several nights in a row. The temperatures plunged below freezing for over a week. It was our first cold snap of the fall and we were all trying to adjust to it…

…except for this one rose bush in our backyard. Somehow, this bush didn’t get the word that it was time to stop blooming, because it kept on blooming. One bloom at a time appeared on the bush, each one perfectly shaped; its resplendent colors bursting on your eye against the gray-brown backdrop of the yard.

And as each bloom emerged, I cut it at just the right time, brought it inside my office, put it in a vase, and marveled as it continued to unfold its beauty. Who would have thought it—a rose bloom in freezing temperatures!

Sometime in the New Year the world around you will get cold and you will feel like quitting. But like this rose, be persistent, persevere, put on your best face, brave the cold, and bloom in the midst of adversity. Your beauty unfolds and blesses you and the people around you as you make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you have any gifts to exchange?"

2009-12-27T19:15:00.001-05:00

Three sons were discussing their Christmas gifts for their mother. The first said, “I built a big house for our mother.” The second son said, “I sent her a luxury automobile with a driver.” The third son said, “You remember how our mother enjoys reading the Good Book and now she can’t see very well. I sent her a remarkable parrot that recites every chapter and verse. It took the elders twelve years to teach him. Mama just has to name the chapter and verse and the parrot recites it.”

When the mother wrote her thank you notes, she wrote to the first son, “The house you built is too big. I live in one room, but have to clean them all.” To the second son she wrote, “I’m too old to travel and the driver is rude.” To the third son she wrote, “Thank you so much! The chicken was delicious!”

So do you have any gifts to exchange? Whatever you exchange, make sure you keep at least one gift—God with us.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

So what presents did you open this morning?

2009-12-24T23:23:00.001-05:00

Designer pants from a name-brand store? Another pair of blue socks and a white shirt? A green lamp?

Really, what did you get? Did you find any peace on earth, good will to all people as you tore open your presents? As you carefully saved that gift bag, did you pull out a single candle to light in the curse of darkness? As you shook that big package to see what it was, did you hear any songs to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony?

Or, was it just another pair of designer pants from a name-brand store, pair of blue socks, a white shirt, and this year’s big novelty toy in a pear tree?

May I give a gift to you right now? May God bless you with peace and good will, joy and harmony today and for the rest of your life.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Tonight’s the big night—are you ready?"

2009-12-23T23:00:00.001-05:00

Do you remember when you were a child how excited you got getting ready for Santa Claus? You made your wish list of toys and treasures and impatiently waited until the night that lasts longer than any other night—Christmas Eve.

Our daughter, when she was a preschooler, anticipated the longest night of the year and dictated her Christmas wish list to her mother. When she knelt by her bed to pray with me, she said, “Daddy, I want to pray to Santa Claus.” Surprised by her remark, I said, “Why?” And she said, ”Because you won’t let me ask God for toys so I want to ask Santa Claus.”

As you prepare for this longest night of the year and the visit of a jolly ole elf, remember to say your prayers and ask God to visit you, too. For it’s God who brings the greatest gift of all—love. Listen to life tonight for what God has to say.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"What’s your perfect gift?"

2009-12-22T19:51:00.001-05:00

We’re all searching for the perfect holiday gift, the perfect something for someone who has everything and needs nothing, right? Sure there’s lots of stuff to buy, but that just right something is elusive at times.

My parents gave me a gift recently that you definitely would not want. My wife didn’t want it and my daughters think it’s ridiculous, but it’s the perfect gift for me. My parents gave me the ugliest green lamp you’ve ever seen, with a matching green, metal shade. The lamp is shaped like a ship with gold painting on the front and the sails have a tiny light bulb with a separate switch that you turn on and it lights up the color slides behind the sails. Trust me, it’s even uglier than it sounds.

But this lamp belonged to my grandmother and every time I went to her house, I sneaked into her bedroom to play with it, lighting up the sails, and pretending to sail the Seven Seas. So it has lots of special memories for me and that’s why it’s in my office.

Sometimes the perfect gift doesn’t cost a lot or is even pretty, but sent by God.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"What will you give?"

2009-12-21T21:06:00.001-05:00

Sue and Tom had a dog, Lucky. Lucky was a great dog, but he had one character flaw—he was a thief. He was constantly taking stuff—clothing, shoes, and anything else he could get his mouth around—downstairs to his toy box in the basement and hiding it.

Sue discovered that she had breast cancer. And she didn’t handle the diagnosis very well, even convinced that she would die from the illness. She even worried about leaving Lucky, who was her dog more than Tom’s.

The double mastectomy presented more complications for Sue than the doctors anticipated. When she came home, she couldn’t even make it to the bedroom upstairs. She just fell on the sofa and went to sleep.

She woke up later feeling very hot, like she was smothering. She realized that she was covered with something. Lucky had brought all of his favorite toys from the basement and piled them on top of her. He covered her with his love. Sue is still cancer-free today.

Choose to cover others with the gift of God’s love as you make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Are you more negative or positive?"

2009-12-20T20:50:00.001-05:00

I saw a guy on a television morning show recently talking about how to save money around your home so you can buy more presents. Some of his suggestions were pretty good, but one was…well, you tell me. He said to take your toilet paper roll, squash it, and then hang it. That would make it more difficult for your family members to pull paper off. They would use less. You save money. Talk about dwelling on the negative…I can just see me doing this with my wife and two daughters.

I thought more about his suggestion and focused on something positive. When our older daughter was small, we saved the cardboard roll for her from toilet paper and paper towels. She called them “dooters” and put them up to her mouth, making a “dooting” noise like a kazoo and marching around our home. Then I showed her how to decorate them with crayons and pipe cleaners and Styrofoam balls, making little puppets which we used to put on shows.

So which sounds like more fun, more of a gift to you—the negative or the positive? Be positive and give the gift of your creativity as you make a life.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Who waits on you?"

2009-12-17T22:58:00.001-05:00

‘Tis the season, isn’t it? ‘Tis the season to shop for the perfect gift, to crowd the shopping centers and superstores and malls in pursuit of the prize—a personal, just-right gift for someone special.

Well, as you’re pushing and perusing and pursuing, look up and see the person you’re paying. That person is most likely working a lot of long hours right now, standing on her feet day after day, trying to help you and thousands of others find the perfect gift. He’s probably been moving boxes of merchandise and unloading trucks until late at night. Our younger daughter is experiencing this version of “season’s greetings” for the first time this year. It’s interesting…

If the store’s owner waits on you, she’s praying that she’ll do well this season, knowing that she needs to do up to 50% or more of her annual business in about eight weeks. That’s a lot of pressure for anybody to be under.

So as you shop, look up and see the person you’re paying as a person; a person who’s a daughter or son trying to earn a little extra money this year, someone like you who’s doing the best she can to listen to life and make a life and a living.

"Can you live with it?"

2009-12-16T19:32:00.001-05:00

A year ago today I was with my brother at a hospital. He had surgery on his eye. He had surgery a few months before on the same eye for a detached retina. Unfortunately the retina detached again at another place. Not exactly what we had prayed for.

When he called me to tell me what was going on, he was understandably upset. The odds weren’t as good that the second surgery would work.

His imagination went into overdrive with worry, just like yours and mine would if we were in his position. He didn’t want to go through the incredible pain again. Or, to inconvenience his wife or worry his children or burden our parents. And what if he couldn’t work, he’d lose lots of business.

So I said to him, “Buddy, all we have is today. None of this stuff may ever happen, but right now is what’s happening. And here’s what we know: You can live with whatever life brings because God is with you today.”

Like my brother, whatever situation you’re facing, you can live with it because God is with you today.

"Who are you?"

2009-12-15T20:52:00.001-05:00

Nearly all of the trees on our farm had dropped their leaves by last month except for one maple tree. This one maple tree held on to its leaves like a kid hanging on to his blanket when mom says it has to be washed. And finally it started letting go of its leaves.

The woods were a dark grayish, brown color. The rest of the trees looked like sticks. But this last maple tree put on a show of color like few I’ve ever seen. It’s green leaves turned yellow, then orange, then red against the dark backdrop of the woods. It was absolutely a marvel to watch daily.

Now I know a botanist would tell me that the maple tree’s combination of rainfall and nutrients and sunlight determined its leaf dropping. But it seemed like that tree has a uniqueness about it that perseveres in the face of Mother Nature.

Be like this maple tree. Don’t blindly follow the crowd. Be unique. Out of nearly seven billion people here, there’s only one you. Be the best you possible, with all of your brilliant colors. That’s the way to make a life with God and not just a living!

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"How’s your hand?"

2009-12-14T23:24:00.001-05:00

I’m not much of a poker player, but I have a lot of friends who are. It’s really become a popular sport and one of my friends plays weekly with a group.

One of my friends who plays said to me recently, “Well you know, it’s not always the best hand that wins.”

“How’s that?” I asked.

He explained that sometimes the player who actually has the best hand, the winning card combination, folds or gives up without presenting his hand to see if it wins. Another player may bluff or keep raising the stakes as if he has a great hand, the other player buys the bluff, and folds, only to discover when it’s too late that he had the winning hand.

Sometimes in life you’re tempted to fold early, to give up rather than to persevere. Maybe you run out of faith. Maybe you underestimate your ability to win.

God didn’t create you to fold on life. No matter how stressful this time of year is to you, keep on keeping on as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living. The life you hold is definitely a winner…because your life is in God’s hand.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"What do you share?"

2009-12-13T20:19:00.001-05:00

It’s hard for me to believe, but 18 years ago today, our younger daughter was born. I still remember her birth like it was last week. She arrived three weeks before her due date, so my wife and I were a little nervous during her labor. And when she was born, she was a little blue and it was kind of scary there for a few minutes.

I remember trying to tell my friends and family members about those frightening moments that seemed like days, but nobody wanted to hear it. They’d say, “Is she fine?” and I’d say, “Yes” and they’d ask to see our beautiful blessing. I decided then that hardly anyone wants to hear about the labor, but everyone wants to see the baby.

And that’s true as you listen to life, also. Nobody wants to hear about the hard work you put into a project or how many, difficult long hours you worked on it. They just want to see the outcome.

So today as you listen to life and make a life, remember to share your outcomes, and talk about them as beautiful blessings from God.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you bag life’s beauty?"

2009-12-10T23:17:00.001-05:00

I was in a meeting last month and someone turned to me and said, “Well, have you raked up all of your leaves?”

“Not yet,” I said.

“Oh, do you wait until they all fall so you only have to get them up once?” he said.

“Well,” I said, “they all are fallen when I get them up, but that’s not why I wait. Have you ever left those beautiful red, orange, and yellow works of art on the ground long enough to enjoy the gorgeous carpet they roll out?”

“Not really,” he said. “I usually get them up as they hit the ground.”

“What do you do with them?” I asked.

“I bag them,” he told me.

“You’re bagging and throwing away a lot of beauty,” I said.

Do you treat life the way this guy does his leaves? Just because something falls in your way, you dispose of it as quickly as possible?

Life takes you off your usual path at times, especially during the holidays, right? Don’t avoid it. See the beauty in it. And discover God there as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

"Where’s your trash?"

2009-12-09T20:33:00.000-05:00

I read recently about a major corporation that transformed the way it handles its trash. Previously they paid millions of dollars to have the trash hauled to a landfill where it was disposed. The transformation came when the corporation started sorting its trash into various categories, such as those items like plastic and metals that could be recycled, and food stuff that could be converted into compost. The transformation was so effective that they turned a deficit situation into a positive cash flow, i.e., they make money from their trash.

This company’s response to their trash started me listening to life about other forms of garbage like the “bad things” in life that happen to us. How can we recycle those?

God can transform every experience you have in life. Sure, it’s smelly and gross sometimes, but God can help you learn from it. Just push through the pain, see beyond it, and ask, “Please show me, God, what I can learn from this trashy experience in my life so I can turn a negative into a positive.” Then listen to your life and make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Can you see clearly?"

2009-12-08T21:34:00.001-05:00

A couple moves into a new home. They’re eating breakfast together in their new kitchen when the husband looks out and sees a neighbor hanging out some laundry.

“Man, that laundry isn’t very clean,” he says. “She doesn’t know how to wash clothes right or needs a different kind of detergent.” His wife doesn’t say anything.

Every time the neighbor hangs out the laundry while the couple eats breakfast, the husband says the same thing. His wife says nothing.

Pretty soon the couple has spent their first month in their new home and they’re eating breakfast together again. Once again, the neighbor starts hanging out the laundry. But this time, the husband says, “Well how about that? She finally learned how to wash her laundry correctly. See how clean it is?”

And his wife says, “Actually yesterday afternoon I cleaned that window.”

As you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today, make sure your own window is clean before you comment on someone else’s dirty laundry.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"What’s your choice—passion or misery?"

2009-12-07T21:38:00.001-05:00

I walk into lots of new places, most of them businesses, and have discovered that I get lots of different receptions. The receptions run from “Hi! How may I help you?” to “Yea? Whadda you want?”

You’ve gotten those same receptions. You can tell almost immediately who’s passionate about what he’s doing and who’s not, who’s doing a great job because she loves what she does and who she is and who’s just miserable.

So what creates the difference between “How may I help you?” and “Whadda you want?” It’s the personal choice to make a life and a living or to just make a living. If you make a life and a living, you listen to life for opportunities to invest yourself in others’ well-being, knowing that’s the path to spiritual and financial success. If you just make a living, others merely interrupt your pursuit of money.

So what’s your choice? God gives us one another to help along the way so choose your passion, not misery as you listen to life today and make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Where’s your watch?"

2009-12-06T19:58:00.000-05:00

Someone asked me recently, “Did you forget your watch?” They noticed I wasn’t wearing one. “No,” I said. “I stopped wearing my watch about five years ago.” I went on to tell them how much I like my watch. It’s a very well-known brand of watch.

So why did I stop wearing it? To help me focus less on what’s coming up next and where I’m going and by when and more on where I am now, what I’m doing now, who I’m with now, and what’s going on now.

You’re probably wondering how I get anywhere on time. I have a mobile phone and it keeps time. And there are clocks everywhere—restaurant walls, the car, my friends’ wrists. I haven’t been any later than I was earlier in the year for any of my appointments, but I sure feel freer.

I feel freer to listen to the person I’m eating lunch with who has cancer. I feel freer to answer email from around the world from people searching for life answers. I feel freer to have fun at the gym with my daughter. I feel freer to share with my wife.

So just put your watch in your dresser drawer and try it for a day. And listen to life and make a life, not just a time-driven living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you just sing along sometimes?"

2009-12-03T21:31:00.001-05:00

There I was just driving along on a beautiful fall day, windows down so the cool breeze could blow through what’s left of my hair, sunshine streaming through the windshield with just enough warmth to feel good.

And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, one of my favorite songs came on the radio. You know, one of those songs from my teen years; one of those songs that I know all the words to. So I had no choice: I cranked up the radio and started singing at the top of my lungs. There I was—rock star Dr. Joey!

I stopped at a traffic light, song blaring, me singing and tapping out the back beat on the steering wheel…and you know what happened next, don’t you? Yep, I glanced beside me and the people in the car next to me were laughing their heads off! They had put their windows down to listen and laugh.

Well, I started laughing, too, turned down the radio, and shouted over to them, “Sometimes you just gotta sing along!”

And you do! Listen to life today and make a life, not just a living. Sing along as you do and know God’s singing with you!

"Do you just laugh sometimes?"

2009-12-02T20:09:00.001-05:00

I recently spoke to an association of hospital volunteers meeting close enough to my home for me to drive. I spent the night in their meeting hotel and put up a display so they could carry our Listen to Life books in their gift shops.

I took down my display after the vendors fair and one of the bell hops helped me to load everything on a cart. He got my car brought up and loaded it for me. He was a really nice guy and I was very tired so I appreciated his help.

Well, about 30 minutes down the road, I heard some of the display items moving around in my trunk and then it hit me—I forgot to get my personal belongings out of the hotel’s storage. I checked out of my room during a break and put my suit, toiletries, and other things in storage and in my tired state simply forgot to get them.

Now I had two choices when turning around and going back to get them: get mad at myself, or laugh at myself. I decided that when you’re listening to life and making a life, not just a living, sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself.

So laugh today and know God’s laughing with you!

"Do you just cry sometimes?"

2009-12-02T06:11:00.001-05:00

“Joey,” my mother said on the phone. “Honey, your Granddaddy passed away this morning.”

I’ve tried before and there’s no easy way to give or receive this kind of news. You just have to cry when you get a phone call like this.

It’s okay to cry sometimes. In fact, some medical doctors say it’s therapeutic, releasing good chemicals into your body. And wouldn’t it be sad if no one cried when someone dies?

My grandfather positively influenced my life in so many ways. Sure, I didn’t want to see him suffering anymore. It was his turn and I wouldn’t ask God to bring him back today because I loved him too much to be selfish with his life. But I still miss him. I miss his laughter, his cock-eyed grin, his wisdom, his self-assured ways that weren’t cocky, but inspired confidence that I would actually live through whatever what was happening.

So yea, I cried. And I still do sometimes. And you know what? It’s okay to cry sometimes as you listen to life. God cries with you when you do.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you just run in circles sometimes?"

2009-11-30T19:22:00.001-05:00

A window in my former office looks up a small mountain over the backyard where our dogs play. I sat, writing these stories one day, and glanced out the window to see what the dogs were doing.

We raise yellow Labrador retrievers so all of our dogs are yellow Labs except Maxie who’s a beagle. Well, this particular day, Maxie led the other dogs in running in circles. Now that’s something beagles do naturally because they chase rabbits and rabbits run in circles. But Labs don’t run in circles naturally.

So Jake, one of the Labs, wants to play with Maxie but just doesn’t get it. He keeps cutting her off in mid-circle, running straight at her. Finally, Maxie gets Jake to understand how to play—chasing her in a circle, not cutting across to catch her.

You know, sometimes life isn’t about just getting the job done in a straight line. Sometimes you just have to run in circles and have fun. So don’t be so serious today as you listen to life and make a life. Just run in a circle and have fun! God’s with you as you do!

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you just dance sometimes?"

2009-11-29T19:36:00.000-05:00

Our family watched some home movies. Our daughters were much younger then and they really enjoy seeing themselves then.

I walked into the room just when our younger daughter, who was about 18 months old at the time, came on camera. Our family was at an amusement park and we had gone to one of those outdoor music shows. The entertainers called all the kids up on stage, and there she was—front and center—moving not just her feet, but her whole body; jumping up and down, running around, with this huge grin on her face!

Now what you need to understand is that she rarely did anything like this. She’s our quiet, introverted child who speaks only when spoken to. But there she is, dancing like she’s starring in A Chorus Line, enjoying every second of it.

Well, after several minutes of filming this, I said, “Sometimes you just have to dance!” And you do…sometimes life is so good, you just have to dance.

Listen to life and dance as you make a life, not just a living today. God’s with you as you dance.

"Are you an angel?"

2009-11-27T06:10:00.000-05:00

I parked my car in a garage that I had never parked in before. I left my car and was inside a nearby building all day and into the early evening.

Going back to my car, I remembered I came down via the door to Level 4. So I climbed the stairs to Level 4, came out on the deck, and walked to where I parked my car. Only my car wasn’t there.

I stood there, looking around, wandering what had happened to my car, when a young lady, Vanessa, walked up and asked, “Lose your car?” Well, being male and having to admit I lost my car was a tough thing to do, but I sheepishly said, “Yes.” And she said, “Happens to me all the time. Get in my car here and let’s look for it.”

So I did and she drove through all the levels until we found my car on Level 3 where I parked and walked to the Level 4 door. I thanked her and she said, “No problem. Glad to help. Just pass it on.”

So I am…to you. If you ask with thanks for your help, God will lead you to someone who needs your help today. Be their angel like Vanessa.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Are you counting your blessings today?"

2009-11-25T19:37:00.001-05:00

While on a mission trip, a pastor was leading worship at a leper colony on the island of Tobago. There was time for one more song, so he asked if anyone had a request. A woman who had been facing away from the pulpit turned around to make her request.

She had the most hideous face you can imagine. The woman's nose and ears were entirely gone due to the leprosy. The disease had destroyed her lips as well as her fingers. Despite all of this personal devastation, she lifted a fingerless hand in the air and asked, "Can we sing Count Your Many Blessings?"

Today when you feel stressed out or burned out or cast out and don’t think that you can face one more minute of a hopeless day, think about this woman who chose to count her many blessings. Then inspired by her example, count one blessing God has given you no matter how small and listen to your life today for what God has to say.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you forgive and forget?"

2009-11-24T18:58:00.001-05:00

Our school system was integrated when I was in 5th grade. Carlton had never had a white friend before me, but we became friends despite the daily bomb threats and riots. We haven’t seen each other since high school graduation, but recently Carlton and I got back together. And he told me this story.

My dad gave me a really nice pen. Carlton loved that pen probably more than I did so I let him take it home one weekend. Well, his little sister found the pen and while playing with it, broke it. Carlton says he was so ashamed and hurt to have to bring it back to me that way, but he did anyway. He explained what had happened, and says that I said, “It’s okay. I forgive you.” And we went on through the next seven years together without my ever mentioning it again.

Frankly, I don’t remember that happening at all and I told Carlton I’d just have to take his word for it. And he said, “Well, that means you really did forgive me. You forgot about it, too.”

Tell someone “It’s okay, I forgive you” today as you listen to life.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you love life?"

2009-11-23T19:00:00.001-05:00

The holidays are really rolling in on us, aren’t they? And if you’re not careful, they’ll roll right over you and you’ll wonder where they went when you wake up on January 1, 2010.

That’s why it’s so important to listen to your life and make a life, not just a living during the hurry-up-and-get-it-done busyness of the holiday season. A mother of a ten-year old boy reminded me recently of the importance of listening to life and doing what you love in life. Her son is obsessed with football. It’s all he wants to watch on TV. He talks about it constantly. He practically sleeps with a football in his hand. So she asked him why he loves football so much.

He said, “Well Mom, I love the game. I want to have fun. I want to be the best. I want to win. I want to celebrate.”

What a wonderful attitude! You can take it to your workplace, your home, your relationships, and anywhere else you want. Love life. Have fun in life. Be the best you can be. Win at life. And celebrate life as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living, especially during the holidays.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"What kind of friend are you?"

2009-11-22T19:23:00.001-05:00

I love walking into a home or an office suite where popcorn has just been popped, don’t you? There’s just something about the smell of freshly popped corn that just lights up a room and everyone in it. The fragrance carries light and carefree through the air, even getting into the ventilation system and making the mouths of persons several offices away salivate.

I also love walking into a home or an office suite where coffee is brewing, don’t you? For me, coffee brewing is a comfort smell, a fragrance that is fresh and bright-eyed, refreshing and stimulating. Like popcorn, it carries from room to room, causing folks to breathe deeply and say, “Mmmmmm!”

Like popcorn and coffee, I love walking into a home or an office suite where a good friend is present, don’t you? There’s just something refreshing and stimulating, comforting and good about being with a friend who lights up the room.

Be a popcorn and coffee kind of friend as you listen to life today and make a great smelling life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you ever forget that you can choose your mood?"

2009-11-19T19:42:00.001-05:00

I remember them from my growing up years, but I didn’t know they were back in style…until I was driving my younger daughter and one of her friends somewhere the other day and I heard them giggling about something. “What are you laughing at?” I said.

“I’m trying to make my ring change colors, Daddy,” she said.

“What kind of ring?” I said.

“A mood ring,” she said. And she went on to tell me that it changed colors according to your mood. On and on she went, as if I’d never heard of it before. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I wore a mood ring when I was her age.

She explained to me that the different colors reflected your mood. And that you can choose to change your mood when you want to and the ring changes color. She was trying to change hers.

Do you ever forget that you can choose your mood? Or, do you need a ring to remind you? Choose your mood—hopefully a good mood—by listening to life today for what God has to say so you can make a life, not just a living.

"How do you prepare for life?"

2009-11-18T18:46:00.001-05:00

You know, painting a bedroom really doesn’t take all that long. I guess you can paint a bedroom in several hours, can’t you?

What takes so long is the preparation. First, you have to move all of the furniture, either taking it out of the room, or moving it into the center of the room. If it stays in the room, then you have to cover it. Next, if there are pictures on the walls—and who doesn’t have pictures on the walls—you have to remove them. Most of us then spackle over the holes, sand them lightly, and create a smooth wall surface. Now if you have wallpaper up and you want to paint, removing that is a whole other matter that involves more tools and chemicals and more patience than I have some weekends. But all of this preparation, when done properly, is what insures a beautiful paint job.

Sometimes life is a lot like painting a bedroom. It takes a lot longer to get ready to actually do something than it does to just do it. Preparation is important and what insures a job well done. So prepare with God as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

"So how strong are you?"

2009-11-17T21:40:00.001-05:00

A boy and his father were walking along a road when they came across a huge rock. The boy said to his father, “Do you think if I use all my strength, I can move this rock?”

His father said, “If you use all your strength, I am sure you can do it.”

The boy pushed on the rock. Exerting himself as much as he could, he pushed and pushed, but the rock did not move. Discouraged, he said to his father, “You were wrong, I can’t do it.”

The father placed his arm around the boy's shoulder and said, “No, son, you didn't use all your strength.”

“Well, what do you mean? I pushed as hard as I could,” the boy said.

“Yes, son, you did,” said the father. “But you didn't ask me for help.”

Ask for help as you listen to life today and make a life, not just a living...with God’s help.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"What should you do?"

2009-11-16T20:52:00.001-05:00

I don’t remember exactly who I was listening to, but I think it was either a politician or a preacher. One of them was talking about what we ought to do about a certain situation. “You ought to do this…” he said. “You should do that…” he went on. I kept listening, hoping to hear something other than what I ought to or should do; struggling for any tidbit of encouragement or advice about how I could actually do what I was being told I ought to do. But none ever came. So there I was left hanging between what I ought to do and how to do it.

It’s amazing how often that happens, isn’t it? For instance, at work, do you ever tell someone they ought to do or to have done something differently only to realize later, they didn’t know how to do it? Or does it happen at home with your spouse or child?

Put yourself in that person’s place today as you listen to life. Ask yourself, “What would I like to know besides what I ought to do?” Then answer your question.

And that’s one way to listen to life and make a life, not just a living!

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"What’s inside of you?"

2009-11-11T22:06:00.002-05:00

Our family did what millions of other families across this fair nation do about this time every year—we carved a pumpkin. Our pumpkin wasn’t just any pumpkin though. It was the pumpkin that we accidentally grew and thought was a watermelon until it turned orange.

I cut the top out of the pumpkin and then it was time for one of us to scoop out the inside. No one wanted to do it. “It’s nasty,” said one of our daughters. “It’s slimy,” said the other. And you know it kinda is. Nobody wanted to do the dirty work of scooping out the pumpkin. So my wife and I did it, knowing that if we didn’t, the smell would be unbearable.

I guess we’re all kinda like our daughters were about scooping out the pumpkin when it comes to scooping out our spirits. There’s all kinds of slimy stuff we don’t want to touch inside of most of us—hatred, greed, anger, jealousy. But God comes along and says, “I’ll do it” because God knows our lives would be unbearable without the scooping.

So smile like a jack-a-lantern today and let God scoop you clean as you make a life.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you understand and forgive?"

2009-11-10T19:56:00.001-05:00

Recently I was talking with a World War II veteran. He served in the European theater, in Germany, during the final days of Hitler’s retreat. He told me about walking down dirt roads and seeing German bodies lying in ditches and fields. He told me how some of his fellow soldiers kicked and spat on those German bodies.

He also told me how his fellow soldiers kicked and spat on German prisoners being escorted to camps. They called the Germans names and beat them.

But this veteran told me that when he looked at the German bodies lying in fields and ditches, and when he walked by the German prisoners going to camps, that he didn’t see “Germans”; he didn’t see “the enemy,” but instead he saw young men his own age who left behind wives and families to follow orders to shoot to kill; young men just like himself. My friend, in the midst of the horrors we call war, understood and forgave.

Do you understand and forgive?

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"When’s your birthday?"

2009-11-09T19:13:00.002-05:00

Today is my birthday. Don’t ask how old I am because it’s one of those “zero” birthdays…unless you’ll settle for my standard answer: “Old enough to know better, and still too young to care.”

Yea, I’ve noticed some changes as I’ve gotten older, but I get to choose how I deal with those changes. My attitude is a choice I make that either helps or hurts me as I celebrate a birthday each year.

I had a friend who was nearing 100 years old. She got more and more excited with each passing year as she neared 100. By the time she was 99, she was organizing her 100th birthday party, telling her daughter what to do and how to do it, and confiding in me that she wasn’t sure her daughter was making arrangements properly.

We were talking one day and she said something about “an old lady” down the hall having physical challenges. I asked how old the “old lady” was.

“Well,” my friend said, “I think she’s about 85.”

Celebrate your life and your age with me today and let’s listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Change comes to everyone, doesn’t it?"

2009-11-08T19:23:00.002-05:00

The seasons have definitely changed. While our southern U.S. listeners are watching the leaves change colors, our Minnesota to Alaska listeners already have snow on the ground. Change is in the air…

…and with all of this change comes some grief, some missing of what was. Take lightning bugs, for instance. I miss the lightning bugs. The cooler weather means their summer dusk light shows are over. Their greenish-yellow taillights won’t be popping on and off in the backyard any more. The kids won’t be running around with jars and hole-punched lids trying to catch a bunch of them to look at under the covers at night.

Any time change comes to us, there’s something we’ll miss, someone we’ll grieve. But like the lightning bugs, that something or someone usually comes back around at some point, in another season. So keep looking for it, keep watching for him or her, and know God has made life for living in seasons, as you listen to your life so you can make a life, not just a living.

"How do you see God?"

2009-11-05T22:27:00.001-05:00

What’s God look like to you? Maybe for you God looks like a piñata. You’re looking for just the right prayer stick—solid and the right length—to whack God hard enough to force the goodies you want to rain down from heaven.

Or maybe for you, God is more like a prize machine, you know the kind where you drop your money down, grip the joystick, maneuver the claw over what you want from life, then drop and grab it, move carefully over to the chute and let it go.

Or, maybe for you, God looks more like a craps table. You try to be good enough to buy up enough chips to bet your life, pick up your dice, blow on them, breathe a prayer to God like “Come on now, the baby needs shoes!” and roll away.

Look, there are no magic words when it comes to praying to God. Sure, use words to pray, but prayer is more about a relationship with God than a piñata or claw or roll of the dice. Just talk to God about what’s on your mind and heart, about what’s in your spirit. Then listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"What do you see?"

2009-11-04T23:15:00.002-05:00

When dandelions dot my lawn, I reach for the weed and feed to kill them. But then I remember my daughters picking the little yellow flowers to give to their mother and blowing the downy seeds to make a wish.

When I’m walking around our farm and the wind starts whipping down the mountain, I steel myself against it, sometimes reach up for what’s left of my hair, and grouse if I’m walking up hill about how I wish the wind was blowing in a different direction. But then I remember my daughters leaning into the wind, arms outstretched like wings, pretending to fly.

When I see someone sitting in a wheelchair, I see a handicapped person and feel pity for them and wonder if I’ll wind up like that. But then I remember my daughters seeing someone they can look in the eye or get up and play in her lap or push him around just like our older daughter did her great-grandmother.

When you start listening to life like a child, making a life, not just a living, gets so much easier. You trust God more and see God everywhere more often.

Try to listen to life like a child today.

"Do you live as if there’s enough or as if there’s not enough?"

2009-11-03T22:01:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine, John, had a yellow Labrador retriever named Abbie that he loved dearly. Abbie got sick and died and John was heartbroken.

His wife went shopping with some friends at an antique mall shortly thereafter. As she was browsing through the mall, she saw a dealer who had a couple of dogs there with him. She started talking with him and found a pillow with a yellow Lab on it that looked exactly like Abbie. She wanted to buy the pillow to give to John in memory of Abbie, but the dealer only takes cash and she just had credit cards. When she told the dealer why she wanted to buy the pillow, he told her to take the pillow and send the money later.

Can you believe the dealer’s generosity? Most of us act like there aren’t enough pillows in the world; there’s a scarcity of pillows. But this man understood that there are more than enough pillows to go around; an abundance of pillows. How do you live—as if there’s enough or not enough?

Live abundantly as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today.

"Are you trapped?"

2009-11-02T20:33:00.001-05:00

I walked into our garage one day and found a sparrow flying around. So I opened the door for him to fly out, but he wouldn’t. He simply flew around the room, lighting at the windows, but not stopping at the door.

So I opened a window about half way. I walked around behind him, moving him to the window. He perched on the window in the same spot he had before, on the window frame, just above the opening.

So I stepped toward him and he flew to the other window, again ignoring the open door. I opened the window all the way this time, and moved toward him again. This time he saw the open window, flew through it, and perched outside on a tree limb. I stuck my head out of the window to check on him. He turned toward me, peeped a couple of times, and flew off.

And I thought about how patient God is with me, opening numerous opportunities to make a life, not just a living, and helping me finally find one I can see my way through. Then I peep a prayer of thanks and go on with my day.

Peep a prayer of your thanks to God today as you make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Is there a purpose for every season?"

2009-11-01T19:15:00.001-05:00

Have you noticed with the change of seasons comes less daylight? Most of us switched from Daylight Savings Time back to Standard Time yesterday. But still there’s just not as much daylight now.

I understand all about the earth’s rotation and the seasons and distance from the sun. But somehow having less daylight affects me. I feel more tired at the end of the day, because it gets dark so much earlier. In the summer, when it’s light until nine some evenings, I’d go home and work in the yard or cut the grass. I’d have all kinds of energy. Now it seems like I’m ready for bed by nine.

I guess there’s a rhythm to life, isn’t there? A beat that is fast sometimes and slow others. There’s a purpose to every season. I mean I couldn’t work forever at a summer pace. So maybe the purpose of fall is to slow us down a bit.

Find your rhythm in this season and every season. Discover its purpose for you. Enjoy the rhythm of this season’s purpose as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"What are you afraid of?"

2009-10-29T12:58:00.000-04:00

One of the things I remember from trick-or-treating as a child at Halloween is that my younger brother was scared to death of ghosts. Or, actually other kids dressed as ghosts.

He and I would walk from one neighbor’s house to another and all of a sudden, he would scream and start crying. I would look around and there was a kid dressed as a ghost. I would hug him until “the ghost” walked on by.

He was afraid of ghosts not because they were ghosts but because they were dressed in all white. You see he had surgery a couple of times when he was a baby and later as a preschooler. All of the OR people wore white as did the other nurses and doctors. He associated their white dress and the white sheets of “the ghosts” with pain.

You know, there’s a lot of pain in the world right now—war, financial failures, and the list goes on. It’s easy for you to associate this pain with every dark shadow in life and be frightened of lots of things.

Ask God to hug you until your ghosts walk on by as you listen to life and make a life.

"Are you resilient?"

2009-10-28T20:59:00.001-04:00

Do you remember from your childhood falling trying to ride your bike? What did you do? You got up and rode again, right?

What about playing Little League baseball and someone hit a fly ball to you and you dropped it? You played in the next game, right?

Do you remember hitting a golf shot into the lake? You played another round, right?

And how about having an accident while driving, or getting a speeding ticket? You have driven a lot since then, right?

When has someone told you, “You can’t do that?” and you actually did it, proving them wrong?

As you listen to life and make a life, not just a living, keep these memories plugged into the images flashing through your mind all the time. The time is coming, and very soon, when you will be tempted to feel like a failure just because something didn’t go exactly right. When it does, recall these memories of times when God was with you, helping you to be resilient. And get up and go after it one more time as you make a life, not just a living.

"Where do you struggle?"

2009-10-27T21:16:00.000-04:00

I was working around our farm recently when I noticed something growing under a very large oak tree. I discovered a small maple tree struggling to live under that huge oak tree.

I say “struggling to live” because it was very tiny. Its leaves weren’t fully developed and they were kind of turned down, like they were barely making it.

It occurred to me looking at that stunted maple tree struggling for life under that big oak that as long as the maple tree remained there, it would struggle for life, and probably never grow to become a mature maple, much less reach its full potential. Transplant it out in the open where it can get sunlight and won’t compete with another tree for rainfall and it thrives.

You are like a tree. If you stay in someone else’s shadow too long, you never reach maturity or your full potential. Transplant you where you’re nourished and you thrive. So step out of the shadows today and get where you can grow with God’s help as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you persevere?"

2009-10-26T22:19:00.001-04:00

Our family was camping in the Appalachian Mountains. We enjoyed cooking our evening meals over an open campfire so each night, I built a nice fire. Well, for two evenings in a row, a rainstorm blew up and drowned my beautiful campfire.

So the third evening rolls around and this time I’m prepared. “No rainstorm’s gonna drown my fire tonight,” I said, as I built not a campfire, but a bonfire. I mean, it was huge. I was determined my girls were going to eat a hot meal. So I’ve got this roaring blaze going and the rain starts. And it rains and rains and rains, but it doesn’t drown my fire. Between rain bursts, I jump out of the tent, hot dogs on skewers, and cook them.

Sometimes it seems like no matter what you do, something comes along to dowse it. Rain falls on your campfire, your parade, and everything else. Face such challenges with courage and insight.

Decide what you can do to guarantee success. Then pray and persevere even through the rain as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"How are you flying through life?"

2009-10-25T19:18:00.001-04:00

Ten years ago today, Listen to Life began as a radio show. How is it continuing today? The very first story I shared with you explains how:

Geese fly in a “V” formation because as each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. This uplift adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew solo.

Geese also take turns flying on the point of the V since that’s the most exhausting position. As one goose weakens and slows down, another moves up to take its place.

Have you heard the geese honking to one another as they fly? They’re actually encouraging one another, strengthening the morale of the flock.

How are you flying through life? Listen to Life flies because I’m surrounded by a flock of people whom God sends to me. People just like you and including you who fly with me through my life as I share these stories. Thank you to all of them, and to you, for helping me coach people around the world to listen to life and make a life, and not just a living.

"Searching for answers?"

2009-10-22T21:05:00.001-04:00

A woman and man are seated next to each other on a flight. The man wants to play a fun game and the woman just wants to take a nap, but the man persists and says, "I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me $5, and vise versa." Again, she declines and tries to get some sleep.

The man then says, "Okay, if you don't know the answer you pay me $5, and if I don't know the answer, I pay you $500." The woman agrees and the man asks, "What's the distance from the earth to the moon?"

The woman reaches into her purse, pulls out a $5 bill and hands it to him. And she asks the man, "What goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four legs?"

The man takes out his laptop and searches all his references, no answer. After an hour, he wakes the woman, and hands her $500.

She says, "Thank you," and turns back to get some more sleep and the man says, "Well, what's the answer?"

Without a word, the woman reaches into her purse, hands the man $5, and goes back to sleep.
Searching for answers? Try God.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Does life make sense?"

2009-10-21T19:18:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine who listens to life told me about going to a home to inspect it for a client. He pulls up in his truck and immediately notices how unkempt the front yard is—the waist-high grass needs mowing, the bushes cover the windows; the place is just generally a mess.

Next, he peeks around to the backyard and it’s immaculate. No bushes growing up the side of the house. The grass is manicured closely, even around the chain link that runs around the backyard.
And so he stands there, wondering to himself, “Why in the world would anyone take such good care of their backyard, which no one really can see, and let the front yard go in such a miserable way?” Just then, my friend sees coming around the corner of the house, in the backyard, a goat.

Life doesn’t make sense sometimes, does it? Our normal expectations for what goes on in life fit less and less in this rapidly changing world, and there are more and more goats showing up. Today, suspend your normal expectations and just look for God coming around the corner as you make a life.

"Do you say what you mean and mean what you say?"

2009-10-20T20:50:00.001-04:00

Do you give someone the cold shoulder? This phrase comes to us from the Middle Ages when if you overstayed your host’s welcome, you were served a big shoulder of cold beef rather than a nice hot roast. You were supposed to get the message and leave.

Do you bring home the bacon? In the 12th century, a church in Britain awarded cured bacon strips to newly married couples if they could swear, after their first year of marriage, that they had never once regretted their decision to marry each other. If they could, they brought home the bacon.

Do you stew in your own juices? I hope not, at least not in the original 13th century use of the phrase. Back then, it was a euphemism for being burned at the stake, where you literally, stewed in your own juices.

Sometimes we use a phrase and don’t really know what it originally meant. Sometimes we say something and don’t really know what it means.

Say what you mean and mean what you say as you talk with God today. But more importantly, listen to life first.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Is life any different today?"

2009-10-19T21:36:00.001-04:00

I remember when our older daughter turned sixteen. I asked her shortly after her birthday if she felt any different now that she’s sixteen. She sounded rather perplexed as she said, “No, not really any different.”

Isn’t that the way life goes? You get all geared up and excited about some upcoming big event, a milestone, like turning sixteen or being married fifty years or going to college or retiring from work and when you get there, you wake up the next morning and go, “Huh? What’s the big deal?”

It’s easy to live life that way, isn’t it? To live in anticipation of some big event really shortchanges today, doesn’t it? I mean, if nothing’s different the day after your big event, and you hang your happiness on life being better afterwards, you’re just setting yourself up for disappointment, aren’t you?

Let’s see every day as special, not just the big events. I mean, who knows what happiness can be yours today? God knows…and God is whispering that happiness to you right now. So listen to life and make a life, not just a living, on this special day.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Things aren't always as they seem, are they?"

2009-10-18T22:16:00.001-04:00

A priest and pastor team up to perform some ministry together. They stand by the side of a road, and hold up a sign that reads, “The End is Near! Turn yourself around now before it’s too late!” They plan to hold the sign up to each passing car and truck.

Well, the first vehicle comes speeding down the road, slows down a little, and the driver reads the sign. He rolls down the window, shouts, “Leave us alone you religious nuts!” and speeds away, throwing gravel and dirt all over the priest and the pastor.

The priest and the pastor brush themselves off, looking like they can’t believe what just happened to them. From beyond the curve in the road where they’re standing, the two hear the first vehicle squealing its brakes, and then this huge splash.

And the pastor turns to the priest and says, “Do you think we should just put up a sign that says ‘Bridge out?’”

Things aren’t always as they seem, are they? As you’re listening to life and making a life, not just a living today, think about what else God wants you to understand.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you always say what you mean?"

2009-10-15T21:57:00.002-04:00

I don’t know about you, but I don’t always say what I mean. I know what I mean, but it doesn’t always come out just right when I say it or write it.

With that being said, here are some real excused-absence notes written by parents to their child’s school.

“My son is under a doctor's care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him.

“Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.

“Dear School: Please ekscuse John being absent on Jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and also 33.

“Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was his father's fault.

“Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday.

“Sally won't be in school a week from Friday. We have to attend her funeral.”

God knows what you mean when you’re talking. So talk to God and just say what’s on your mind as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you remember being fed at 2 a.m.?"

2009-10-14T21:59:00.002-04:00

Do you remember your mother and father getting up at 2 a.m. to feed you? Now I didn’t ask you if you remember getting up to feed your child at two o’clock in the morning. I asked you if you remember when you were an infant lying in a crib, screaming your head off because your stomach is growling, and all of a sudden, this bleary-eyed person appears over your crib, reaches down, picks you up, and holds you close. You feel the warmth of that embrace. You hear a soft voice. You are fed. And the next thing you know, you fall asleep again, back in your crib, totally satisfied and happy. That’s what I’m talking about. Do you remember that experience?

Of course not. Even though it happened night after night, you don’t remember those gracious acts of compassionate kindness your parents offered just because they loved you.

And you most likely don’t remember all the gracious acts of kindness God has done for you out of love. But just because you don’t remember them, you can still be grateful. So listen to life and make a life today, grateful for God's love.

"Do you know God makes life easier on you?"

2009-10-13T21:41:00.001-04:00

One of our friends, who listens to life with us through our website at listentolife.org, recently emailed to say, “Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your stories everyday. Today the story about the hummingbirds was great. This past Sunday morning it was such a joy for me to watch them. Just so you’ll know, there is a hummingbird plant that is wonderful and it returns every year. It has small trumpet blooms that are red. With the hummingbird plant, all the little birds have to do is stick their tiny snouts in and drink. God made it just for them and they don't have to work so hard.”

God makes life easier on us, makes it so we don’t have to work so hard, by designing life just for us. All we have to do to enjoy God’s blessings is to stick our spirits in and drink deeply of the sweet goodness of life.

Of course, seeing life this way—as full of abundance—means you focus on making a life, not just a living, as you listen to life today for what God has to say.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you love cookies?"

2009-10-12T21:41:00.001-04:00

Finally, somebody created a theme for a month that I can truly celebrate. This month is National Cookie Month.

What’s not to love about cookies? I mean they come in all sizes from mini’s to humongous, birthday cake sized cookies. There are all sorts of flavors—oatmeal raisin (my favorite), chocolate chip, macadamia nut, peanut butter, macaroon, pecan, walnut, gingerbread, lemon, chocolate with crème filling, chocolate with peanut butter filling, chocolate with mint filling, and…I’m getting hungry so I’d better stop. And don’t start talking about how fattening they are because there are no-sugar, low-fat, cookies, too. Why, there’s even a Cookie Monster!

Cookies are kind of like people. There are all sorts and sizes and shapes. And no two are exactly alike. Sure, you prefer some over others, but you still love them, right?

The next time you hear yourself starting to judge, criticize or accuse another person, think “cookie” and listen to your life today for what God has to say.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you follow directions?"

2009-10-11T19:09:00.001-04:00

A woman’s dishwasher quit so she calls a repairman. Since she’ll be at work when he comes to fix it, she tells him, “I’ll leave the key under the mat. Just leave the bill on the counter and I’ll mail you a check. And don’t worry about my Doberman, he won’t bother you, but whatever you do, do not, under any circumstances, talk to my parrot.”

So the repairman goes to the woman’s home, finds the key, and discovers inside the biggest, meanest looking Doberman you’ve ever seen. But just like the woman said, the dog doesn’t bother him so the repairman fixes the dishwasher. But the parrot drives him nuts, yelling and calling the repairman all kinds of names.

So when the repairman finishes, he’s had enough of the bird so he walks over to the cage and says, “Shut up, you stupid bird!”

And the parrot says, “Get him, Spike!”

It’s usually best to follow directions, don’t you think? Get your directions and follow them by listening to life today for what God has to say.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Does God care about your little things?"

2009-10-08T21:59:00.002-04:00

A woman who listens to life through our web site at www.ListentoLife.org tells the story of giving her niece a baby shower. After taking most of the stuff she was to supply and helping set up, she went back home to change clothes. She had forgotten the plates and was also to get a safety pin to pin the corsage on the mother-to-be.

Well, all the way home, she kept saying, “Plates/pin;plates/pin” so she would remember them. But, she finished getting ready, picked up the plates and rushed out of the house. Half way back to the shower, she realized that she forgot the safety pin for the corsage.

“God,” she said out loud, “I don't want to go back to get a pin.” At that very moment, she looked down in the ashtray of her car and saw a large, shiny safety pin. “Thank you, God,” she said.

Of course, God has a lot bigger things like war and hunger to work on. But remember today that, like this woman, God cares about even the little things in your life like safety pins as you listen to life today for what God has to say.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you flinch?"

2009-10-07T22:30:00.001-04:00

When I was a teenager, my dad, little brother, and I went hunting one day. It was a crisp fall morning and we were having a great time together bird hunting. In fact, one of us downed a bird and I went after it. It fell over in one of my grandfather’s cow pastures.

There was a tiny stream running through the pasture. I thought maybe the bird had fallen in it so I stepped over to take a look. All of a sudden, I heard what sounded like thunder and looked up to discover a small herd of about 25 cattle running straight for me, charging. By this time, they were too close for me to outrun. I thought about shooting the lead cow, but I knew Granddaddy wouldn’t like that so I decided to wait until the last possible moment before shooting. So I just stood there, not flinching, staring down that lead cow; my gun leveled just in case. Right before she got to the stream, she stopped and the herd stopped too.

The next time a life problem charges you, don’t run, don’t shoot; don’t flinch. Have the courage to stand, stare it down, and know God is in control.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Are you blessed…and don’t know it?"

2009-10-06T22:02:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine recently took out the old stove in his home, a stove that worked just fine, and put in a new stove that didn’t work at all. So he sent the new stove back to the company and they graciously sent him a new one. And the second new stove didn’t work.

So being rather bright, my friend decided it might not be the new stoves, but something electrical and he called an electrician. The electrician quickly figured out that the connection wasn’t grounded.

And so my friend asked, “Well, then why did the old stove work and this one doesn’t?”

And the electrician replied, “Mister, I can’t explain everything to you about how and why electricity works. Just consider yourself blessed that your house didn’t burn down.”

Sometimes in life we’re blessed…and don’t even know it. Now I can’t explain everything to you about how and why life works. Just consider yourself blessed that your life isn’t burning down as you listen to life today for what God has to say.

"Are you hanging on?"

2009-10-05T20:57:00.001-04:00

A tornado blew through the area I call home some years ago. It did millions of dollars of damage to property, but, thank God, no one was killed.

I remember listening to life with a friend one day shortly after, and she was telling me about being on the second floor of her office building, staring out the window while the storm blew. As she sat there staring out of the window, she noticed a spider hanging on the window for dear life, being blown all around by the strong winds. The spider hung on by a single thread. And my friend thought, “I sure hope that’s the right thread!”

Life has a habit of blowing up storms some times, doesn’t it? And you find yourself being blown around all of a sudden. Situations you didn’t anticipate blow up in your face and all you can do is hang on. And hopefully you’re hanging on by the right thread.

What’s the right thread? The right thread is the thread of knowing that you’re not alone as the storm blows up, that God is with you, giving you strength you didn’t know you have. So listen to life always, but especially in a storm.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

Is life like a board game?

2009-10-04T20:29:00.002-04:00

Have you ever thought about life as a board game?

Think about it. In a board game, you’re always trying to advance your playing piece, regardless of whether you’re playing Life, Candy Land, or Monopoly. You’re on your way somewhere. Sometimes you draw a card and have twins or get stuck in Molasses Swamp or land on Baltic Avenue and other times, Boardwalk. Sometimes you draw a “Get Out of Jail Free” card and other times you land on “Go Straight to Jail. Do Not Pass Go. Do Not Collect $200.”

Sometimes you roll or spin your best effort and you advance 6 spaces and you celebrate. Other times, you give it your best effort, and advance 6 spaces, only to discover that you’ve got to go back 20 spaces.

Life is like a board game. Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense. But yet, you keep playing, don’t you? I guess that’s because you’re going somewhere and want to get there one day.

Since life is like a board game, as you’re going somewhere, go with God as your traveling companion so you can make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you know you’re special?"

2009-10-01T21:57:00.002-04:00

Will you take just a second and do something for yourself? Put down what you’re doing—unless you’re driving; just pull over—and think about all the special people in your life. Make a mental list or just randomly run through some faces and think about all the special people in your life.

Now as you think about all of these people, who was the very first person to pop into your mind? In your mind’s eye, see her or his face. Watch a smile emerge on that person’s mouth. Look into those sparkling eyes.

Now begin to thank God for all of the reasons why this person is special to you. Name the reasons one-by-one. Take it easy as you breathe your thank-you’s. No need to be in a hurry.

Now decide on three of those reasons why this person is special to you and share them with him or her by a phone call, email, or letter.

And know that while you’ve been doing this, so have lots of other people around the world and at least one of them thanked God for you.

Click here to hear Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Are you a judge?"

2009-09-30T21:21:00.001-04:00

I’ll forever remember the first time I saw someone do something that I thought was weird to their food. I sat down to breakfast with a cousin who proceeded to, at least in my mind, ruin my grandmother’s scrambled eggs by pouring ketchup over them. I had never seen that done before.

I had a similar experience recently while coaching a business woman. We were talking about time management and doing those things that are important to us. I mentioned getting up in the morning to walk our dog and pick blueberries. And she said, “My granddaddy loved to eat blackberries with pinto beans and a piece of hoecake.” I must have looked at her strangely because she started laughing and then I laughed. It was another ketchup-on-scrambled-eggs experience for me!

So often in life, it seems we look down on those things or people which don’t quite fit our idea of normal. Today, as you listen to life, keep an open mind and accept others as they are without judging them. Decreasing your negativity increases your positivity. Blackberries and pintos, anyone?

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you have weeds?"

2009-09-29T21:46:00.001-04:00

Last month, it was unusually hot in the part of the world where I live. So I decided that early morning was the best time to do some outdoor work like pulling weeds and grass out of our flower beds. The temperature was cooler and the humidity lower…and there were no interruptions at 6:00 a.m.

I also discovered that it was a great time to listen to life and pray and meditate. There’s no one around to want anything from me. I’m outdoors which is my favorite place in the world to be. And I’m doing a rather mindless task—pulling weeds and grass out of my rose beds—or at least I thought it was…until I just asked God to show me how I could grow my spirit that day. As I pulled the weeds and grass, I realized that there were some rogue habits and attitudes growing in the spiritual bed of my heart; a place where I was to cultivate good character traits could be overrun with the bad and ugly. So as I cleaned out weeds, I cleaned out my spirit.

Cultivate your spirit by rooting out the bad and ugly and growing the good as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Someone’s always watching, aren’t they?"

2009-09-28T23:30:00.002-04:00

It was a beautiful Saturday—cool for August yet the sun was shining. The perfect day for me to get some work done around our horse farm. It’s been a very wet summer in our part of the world so the weeds have really grown quickly, frankly faster than I could keep them cut. So, this was the perfect Saturday for me to get on my tractor and mow the horse pastures. And I did for the whole day. I really enjoyed myself.

Well, a week or so later, I saw some friends. I spoke to the husband first and as we talked, he said, “I saw you on your tractor the other day.” Then I greeted his wife and she said, “I saw you on your tractor the other day.”

And I thought to myself, “Man, I guess someone’s always watching, aren’t they?”

And they are, you know. When you’re at work, your coworkers watch you. When you’re home, your family watches you. When you’re shopping or playing golf or riding your Harley, someone’s watching you.

Since they’re watching anyway, show them how to listen to life today for what God has to say and make a life, not just a living, okay?

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"What’s your favorite season of the year? Is it fall?"

2009-09-27T19:47:00.001-04:00

Fall started last week and may be my favorite season of the year. It’s beautiful in its own way.

As the temperatures fall, the trees put on a show of color that few artists can capture on canvas. The orange and red maples, the golden oaks, and all the rest of the trees become so brilliant that it’s hard for me to drive down the road without swerving. Sometimes I just go ahead and pull over on the shoulder of the highway, just to look at a maple with the most brilliant orange-colored leaves I’ve ever seen.

Interesting, isn’t it, that these leaves put on such a colorful display as they’re dying. Their artistry is a part of their dying process, as they prepare to drop off the tree.

Maybe that’s the way life is. We give others something beautiful as we prepare to leave, something spectacular to remember us by. Show your best colors as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today.

"Do you have refrigerator rights?"

2009-09-25T06:43:00.001-04:00

Through the years, our home has been a gathering place. My wife and I decided when our daughters were born that we wanted our home to be “the place” where all of their friends wanted to come and play and hang out. We have lots of friends, too, so rather than just go out to eat all the time with them, we like to have them over to relax and kind of “get away” at our farm.

Repeat guests discover something on about the second or third time they’re over: my wife has a refrigerator policy that goes something like this—“The first time you’re here, you’re our guests and we wait on you. From the second time on, you know where the refrigerator is.” In other words, you have what Dr. Will Miller and Glenn Sparks refer to in their book as “Refrigerator Rights,” a relationship that’s comfortable, informal, and intimate.

Who has refrigerator rights at your home? Invite some friends over for dinner this weekend and give them refrigerator rights so you can be comfortable, informal, and intimate as you listen to life and make a life together!

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Are you stuck?"

2009-09-23T20:32:00.002-04:00

I read recently about a new, hi-tech water fountain. Now, most water fountains you walk up to, find the handle, turn the water on, bend over, and drink, right? This water fountain you simply walk up to, bend over, and drink. It has an infrared sensor or something like that which picks up your presence when you bend over and switches on the water.

What’s amazing is how many people look for the handle or button, search all over the fountain for it, and not finding it walk away, still thirsty; thinking, “Somebody needs to fix that water fountain.” All they had to do was bend over and get all the water they wanted. They were so stuck in their usual way of getting water, they couldn’t get their thirst quenched.

What “usual way” of doing something are you stuck in? Are you open to trying something different, maybe even more convenient?

The fact is many of us choose to stay stuck. So today, do something differently like drive home a different route. And see if God is on that path, too, as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"What's in your wallet?"

2009-09-22T22:04:00.001-04:00

Have you been through your wallet lately? I recently went through mine after someone asked to see a current picture of our beautiful daughters and I didn’t have one. All I had was from elementary school—just a few years behind considering one’s in grad school and the other’s a high school senior, aren’t I?

So I went through the rest of my wallet to see what was in there. The obligatory stuff—driver’s license, health insurance card, credit cards. Then there was the coffee shop card—got to get that free cup, you know—and then some interesting things. Like the room key card from the Maui Marriott where my wife and I stayed. And a picture of her in high school. And a picture of a woman I barely knew that sent me $5 a month when I was working my way through college. A pair of concert ticket stubs from seeing The Eagles—a dear friend gave them to us.

If God had a wallet, what do you think would be in it? I think God would carry your picture to look at daily, even when you were a child, and some other memorabilia of good times in life with you. Why? Because God loves you!

"How old are you?"

2009-09-21T20:43:00.002-04:00

I speak to a lot of groups—business groups, trade associations, school systems—as a life motivational speaker. Many of these people listen to life with me through our website at www.ListentoLife.org, or in the newspaper or on the radio. Since I’m not on television yet, none of these people have actually seen me.

A common reaction I get when seeing people for the first time is, “You’re a lot younger than I thought.” Sometimes I ask, “What did you expect?” And most of the responses are something like, “I thought you’d be an old man with a long white beard who’d sat on a mountain for a long time.” Other times, I just tell them, “Thank you! Actually I’m a big kid!”

And I really am. Or, I try to be. You see, children simply trust. They trust for their needs to be met like food, a home, and safety. They trust that someone’s looking out for their best interests. They trust with a faith that doesn’t worry. And that’s why I want to be a big kid. I want to trust God for everything. So I really do listen to life as I make a life, not just a living…like a child.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Is there a specific day that you just dread?"

2009-09-20T19:18:00.001-04:00

A recent survey says that 33% of us dread the day we go to the dentist office. 18% of us just dread Mondays in general (like you really needed to hear that today). Tax Day, April 15, is dreaded by 15% of us while 13% of us dread the last day of summer. And if you can believe this one—8% of Americans surveyed said they dread their birthdays. So I guess the most dreaded day of all is when your birthday is Monday, April 15 and you have a dentist appointment and it’s cool like the last day of summer.

I wonder why a survey’s not been done on the specific day that’s our favorite? Maybe somebody will get around to it one day and discover that the lists are the same. I mean if you go to the dentist or pay taxes, it means you have some money in your pocket. And without Mondays there’d be no Fridays, right? And if summer didn’t end, the leaves wouldn’t change colors. And if we didn’t have birthdays, well, we couldn’t listen to life today for what God has to say.

So as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living, make today your favorite day!

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you want to be a superhero?"

2009-09-17T20:34:00.001-04:00

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a superhero. I pretended that I had X-ray vision and could see through walls to watch the “bad guys” robbing a bank. And I could leap tall buildings in a single bound.

When I got tired of being Superman, then I imagined that I had a spider-like agility, that I had sixth sense and could tell where danger lurked around the corner, and I could climb up walls and stick to them.

Well, when I got tired of being Spiderman, then I pretended that I had this superhuman, freakish strength, that I had the temper of an enraged rhino, a brain the size of a walnut, and was green all over.

But then I even tired of being the Incredible Hulk. So I grew up and decided that it was okay that I wasn’t Superman or Spiderman or the Incredible Hulk. That it was just fine to be who I am—a child of God.

Today, when you’re tempted to be someone other than who you are, take off your cape or cowl and wipe off the green body paint, and just be the wonderful person God created. Go ahead and make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you live backwards?"

2009-09-16T21:51:00.002-04:00

Now, I know that’s a strange question, Do you live backwards? So, what am I talking about? I’m talking not so much about driving through your life looking in the rearview mirror. That’s a sure-fire way to wreck your life.

What I’m talking about is in your mind, going to your own funeral and imaging what your family and friends say about you in the memorial service and around your grave. Most likely your family will leave your grave and go have potato salad for lunch.

But will they just eat potato salad? Or, will they love each other and other people who gather for your service as they remember you and pass on the love you shared?

So, how do you live backwards? Start living today with the realization that what you do and say today determines what goes with the potato salad after your funeral. That’s living backwards, with your ending here in mind.

And the best way I’ve found to live backwards is to focus on making a life, not just a living as you listen to life today for what God has to say.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"How honest are you?"

2009-09-15T22:35:00.002-04:00

School started back recently and I remembered the start of our younger daughter’s last year in elementary school. We received the usual introductory letter from her teacher. Well, actually, this letter wasn’t usual and that’s what I want to tell you about.

The teacher wrote, “In the past, I have started my school year with a letter to parents brimming with bits of advice on parenting the school-aged child. I have, however, been humbled by my daughter’s entrance to school. School is just not as simple as I thought it would be. It is not easy for a parent to find the balance between family time, extra-curricular activities, and school work.”

Like most of us, she was full of advice, knew exactly what others should do, until she started walking in the parenting shoes of a school-aged child.

And isn’t that the way most of us are? You can tell someone else what to do and how to do it, but when you’re in the situation, life isn’t so easy.

Will you be honest with others and not so quick to advise someone else who’s in a place you haven’t been? And instead, listen to life first?

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"What did your father teach you?"

2009-09-14T21:38:00.002-04:00

With our daughters going back to school, I was thinking recently about how much I learned from my father. My father taught me about my roots, saying, “Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?” He taught me about the physics of time travel: “Boy, if you don’t stop that, I’m gonna knock you into the middle of next week.” And I learned my sense of humor from him, “When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me.” And I learned about anticipation—“Just wait until we get home”—and receiving—“You are going to get it when you get home!”

My father taught me about the circle of life when he told me, “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out” and osmosis, “Shut your mouth and eat your supper.” I learned irony from my father: “Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.”

But most of all, my father taught me wisdom, saying, “When you get to be my age, you’ll understand.” I’m starting to understand, Dad. And thank God for all you taught me about listening to life!

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"What did your mother teach you"

2009-09-13T21:16:00.001-04:00

With our daughters going back to school, I was thinking recently about how much I learned from my mother. My mother taught me to appreciate a job well done, telling my brother and me, “If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.” I learned logic from her when she told me, “Because I said so, that's why” and, “If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me.”

My mother taught me how to plan ahead—“Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident” and about stamina—“You'll sit there until all that liver is gone.” She was a weather expert as well, telling me once, “This room of yours looks like a tornado went through it” and evidently studied medicine before I was born because I still remember her saying, “If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they’re going to freeze like that” and even must have studied law, teaching me about justice: “One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!”

Mom, they are, and they’re wonderful! I thank God you taught me so much!

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"Do you go see anyone empty-handed?"

2009-09-10T22:13:00.000-04:00

A grandmother was giving directions to her grown grandson coming to visit her. She said, “You come to the front door of the apartment complex. I’m in apartment 14-T. There is a big panel at the door. With your elbow, push button 14-T. I’ll buzz you in. Come inside, and you’ll find the elevator on your right. Get in the elevator, and with your elbow, hit 14. When you get out, I’m on the left. With your elbow, hit my doorbell.”

“Grandma,” says the grandson, “that sounds easy, but why am I hitting all these buttons with my elbow?”

And the grandmother says, “Well, you’re not coming empty-handed, are you?”

You know, the great thing about God visiting us is that God never comes empty-handed. There are always more than enough blessings for that day. And God knows how to find us without directions!

So when you receive a blessing today, just know that its God visiting you as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

"What do you know? And how do you know it?"

2009-09-09T20:10:00.000-04:00

I told you yesterday about my friend whose dog died and his wife and daughters were away. So his wife told the girls about the dog’s death. Their grief was buffeted by the 10-week old puppy they were sitting. And it was a unique occasion for the mom to talk about death with them.

The mom asked one of the daughters, “So do dogs go to heaven?”

The daughter thought for a moment and then said, Of course not, Mom.”

“Why do you say that?” the mom asked.

“Why Mom,” the daughter. “How can they go to heaven? Everyone knows there’s no such thing as a preacher-dog to do the funeral.”

I never really thought about it that way, have you? But to this little girl, her logic made perfect sense and she just couldn’t understand why her Mom didn’t know this already.

I’ll bet that sometime in your past, you were as sure of something as this little girl, but today, you have a different perspective. Life is like that, isn’t it? Ask God to show you the eternal perspective as you make a life today.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Is life a God-thing?"

2009-09-08T22:36:00.001-04:00

I called a friend recently for our standing Saturday morning talk. He wasn’t having a good morning.
“I woke up this morning to find our dog dead,” he said. “So I had to bury him.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said. He went on to tell me that his wife and two daughters were out of town and he dreaded having to tell them. But he had told his wife and she would have to do it alone.

“But something happened,” he said. “Some friends of ours asked the girls to dog-sit their 10-week old puppy for the weekend. So the girls slept with this puppy between them last night and they get to play with him for a couple of more days. Do you think that God sent this puppy to comfort my daughters?”

“Sure sounds like a God-thing to me,” I told him.

When were you hurting from a loss or disappointment and God sent someone to comfort you? Sure, that was a God-thing, too.

Make a life, not just a living today and know that God is with you in all the times of your life.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Is your slip showing?"

2009-09-07T21:46:00.001-04:00

Last month I told you about my “illegal operation” computer experience during a presentation. That story prompted someone who listens to life with us through our website at www.ListentoLife.org to write about a presentation experience she had. It seems her presentation included links and one link wasn’t cooperating. So she sat down to work the screen for a moment. She leaned forward in her chair, which had rollers for feet, and you know what happened next—that’s right, the chair flipped out from under her and she sat down, sprawled on the floor.

She doesn’t have good knee strength which meant she had to get on all fours to try to get up. So here she is crawling along, trying to get up, while her audience is gasping. She tells them, “Don’t worry. Only my dignity is hurt, but what an attention-grabber!”

They all laugh, including her, reminding her that no matter how foolish she looks in life, God looks after her and still loves her through it all.

So no matter what happens to you today, laugh, and make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Today’s Labor Day. What do you do for a living?"

2009-09-06T18:56:00.002-04:00

It’s Labor Day, that day we annually set aside to honor those who labor in the U.S. So what’s your labor? What do you do for a living?

One day recently a delivery person for a shipping company came by my office. As I usually do with just about everyone, I struck up a conversation about his day.

He told me about a previous stop in delivering a package to an office. The secretary there started telling him about some problem in her life. Even though these folks are on tight schedules, he took the time to listen carefully, and be interested in what she was saying. It was if she had been waiting for him to come so she could unload.

When he started to leave, he said some encouraging words to her, and then said, “I’ll pray for you.”
“You deliver more than packages, don’t you?” I said. “You deliver blessings as well.”

Does your labor deliver blessings as well? Make a life, not just a living as you listen to life on Labor Day for what God has to say.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Is today a special day of God’s love for you?"

2009-09-03T23:03:00.002-04:00

Today is a really special day for me. Today is our older daughter’s 22nd birthday and my wife and I celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary.

That’s right—our daughter’s birthday and our wedding anniversary are both today. I planned it that way so that I would never forget my wedding anniversary.

Not really, but today is a special day for that reason. I’ll always remember our wedding—all the family and special friends from growing up years there to celebrate God’s love with us. And then five years later, we celebrated God’s love again with family and friends as Rebekah was born.

It’s kinda hard to believe 27 years have passed so quickly, but then when I look into my wife’s eyes and remember God’s love for us, I know they have. And I have the same experience as I watch our daughter as a young woman. I know the years have passed. Each year reminds me of God’s love blessing me. And that makes today a special day for me.

What makes today a special day for you? Discover it as you make a life.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Do you ever get really surprised?"

2009-09-02T19:20:00.001-04:00

A young man bought an expensive gold watch from a jeweler.

Soon, the man brought it back to the jeweler, demanding a new case. The case looked like brass, not gold, and the man had paid for gold.

The jeweler looked at the case, rubbed it a little, and then asked the young man, “Are you taking any supplements that have extra iron in them?”

“Well,” said the young man, “yes, I am.”

“Okay,” the jeweler said, “then that’s the problem. The extra iron comes out with your perspiration and has tarnished the case.” And he took a cloth and polished and buffed the watch until it shone again with all of its original golden luster.

You know, we’re like this young man, his watch, and iron supplements. What is inside of us always comes to the surface. And sometimes what’s inside of us tarnishes what we polish so hard, things like our reputation. So make sure you polish not just what’s on the surface, but polish what’s inside of you as well as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

Click here to listen to Dr. J0ey tell his story!

"Do you ever get really surprised?"

2009-09-01T20:11:00.002-04:00

A guy in a taxi wanted to speak to the driver so he leaned forward and tapped him on the shoulder. The driver screamed, jumped up in the air, and yanked the wheel over. The car jumped the curb, demolished a lamppost and came to a stop inches from a shop window.

The startled passenger said, “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just wanted to ask you something.”
The taxi driver said, “It’s not your fault, sir. Today’s my first day as a cab driver. For the past 25 years, I’ve been driving a hearse.”

Do you ever get really surprised by life? You know, sometimes we get so accustomed to doing life one way that when something changes, we’re really surprised. So surprised that we scream or jump up in the air, or yank ourselves over.

Well, when the dust settles, just remember that today is different from yesterday and will be different from tomorrow. The key to keeping it in the road during all this change is to ask God for help as you make a life, not just a living.

"How’s your reality?"

2009-08-31T21:24:00.000-04:00

A lot of the stories I share with you about how to listen to your life and make a life, not just a living, have to do with your attitude toward life, i.e., a perspective that helps you redefine reality so that you can fulfill your God-given dreams and goals. I told a story titled, “What’s your attitude?” and a friend sent me a story back.

She said that a good friend of hers has been dealing with cancer for about five years. When her friend told her the cancer returned, the woman felt sad and angry at what the friend has to deal with at such a young age.

The friend replied, “Well, they used a new radiation uptake that can find tumors early. I’m glad they found it now so they can take care of it early.”

The woman who wrote me said, “My friend with cancer listens to life and that made me change my attitude.”

You can redefine your reality any way you choose…with God’s help. So no matter how tough your life situation is, ask God to help you listen to your life and improve your attitude.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"How big is your world?"

2009-08-30T19:15:00.001-04:00

I received an email from a friend recently whom I met when I spoke to a group of volunteers from the hospital where she works. She complimented my presentation, remarked about how much she enjoys reading Today’s Story, particularly one titled, “Do you complain or marvel?”

She had promised herself that she wouldn’t complain about how often she “had to” mow her lawn. You see, after reading that story, she received an email image of a soldier in Iraq, stooping down in front of his tent, cutting a patch of grass with scissors. That’s right, scissors.

“Boy was that picture a rude awakening,” she wrote. “In the coming months, I hope that I will remember that image every time I feel like complaining, and that I will happily start the mower with a prayer because I have the freedom to enjoy the beauty of a nicely cut lawn.”

It’s pretty easy to complain about your life when you’re only gazing into your own life. But when you look up at the world around, a different perspective emerges. Ask God to enlarge your world view as you listen to life today.

Click here to listen to Dr. Joey tell his story!

"Sometimes, we just misunderstand, don’t we?"

2009-08-27T21:32:00.001-04:00

An 80 year-old man loved golf so much that he joined the local country club. He went to the Club to play for the first time, and the Assistant Pro said he would play with him and asked how many strokes he wanted for a bet. The 80-year-old man said, “I really don’t need any strokes. I’ve been playing really well. The only problem I have is getting out of sand traps.”

Well, the old man played well and coming to the par-4, 18th they were even. The pro had a nice drive, got on the green, and 2-putted for a par. The old man had a nice drive, but his approach shot landed in a sand trap next to the green. So playing from the bunker, he blasted out, the ball landed on the green, and dribbled into the hole. Birdie, match, and all the money!

The pro, “Nice shot, but I thought you said you have a problem getting out of sand traps!”
And the old man said, “I do. Can you give me a hand to get out of here?”

Sometimes, we just misunderstand, don’t we? Yet another reason to very carefully listen to life today for what God has to say.

"Is God with you now?"

2009-08-26T20:48:00.001-04:00

A friend shared a story with me about her dog, Sammy. Sammy is evidently the perfect dog. He’s quiet and beautiful, energetic on the trail and quiet at camp, doesn’t beg for food, and patient until fed. She praises Sammy for being such a great dog, and he literally wags his tail and smiles at her.

Sammy is my friend’s constant companion, and recently went one morning to the blueberry patch with her. It’s a tranquil setting there, away from traffic noise and beside a gurgling stream. My friend was praising God for the lovely morning and setting…

…when she realized that she had not spent so much time with God lately. That she had found other things to do rather than pray and meditate.

She then looked down at Sammy and realized that just like Sammy, God goes with her everywhere; whether she takes God for granted or not. Like her constant companion, Sammy, God smiles on her whether she’s praying or not…all of which caused my friend to resolve to spend more time acknowledging God’s presence with her as she listens to life and makes a life.